Scotland Men's Football Team

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Tom English in Munich

Remember what it used to be like being a Scotland fan?

As we gathered in the media room at Bayern Munich's home ground on Thursday evening, the electricity crackling and the sense of occasion rising, I thought back to the early days of the Steve Clarke era.

And to one night in particular. November 2019 and a 3-1 win at home to Kazakhstan, the team that not long before had humiliated Scotland. The sense of despondency around the national team at the time was unmissable.

The apathy was real and seemingly without end.

A total of 19,515 fans turned up at Hampden that night. At times it felt like a similar number were cramped into Clarke's press conference at the Allianz. What a transformation this has been.

No wonder Andy Robertson referenced the pride his players felt at having reconnected the nation with the national team.

This means something. It means everything.

Not many people back then could have envisaged a day when Scotland would sit at the centre of European football again, but it's happening. And it's majestic.

Scott Mullen
BBC Sport Scotland at the Allianz Arena

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Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann was full of praise for his Scottish counterpart as he spoke to the media on the eve of their Euro 2024 opener.

"Many years ago he was assistant coach of big names and big coaches," said Nagelsmann. "He learned a lot from them and I think the transformation of Scottish football is because of his brilliant job in the last couple of years.

“When you watch the Scottish team in the early years they’d play a lot of long balls and the ball was in the air, only fighting. Now they can do every part of the game in a good way.

“It’s an incredible development. It’s not kick and rush. They can do that, but they can play football.

“We have more pressure tomorrow than Scotland, so I’m sure they want to capitalise on that."

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Scotland skipper Andy Robertson has eased any lingering worries surrounding his fitness before Scotland's Euro 2024 opener against Germany.

The left-back was withdrawn early from Monday's training session after a knock to the ankle, but has reassured supporters he's fully fit for Friday night.

"I'm physically good, mentally good and looking forward to what's ahead," Robertson said.

"I had an ankle injury from March and I've been nursing it a little bit from then on.

"It's all good now, we were pretty relaxed about the whole situation but I'm all good to go.

"Mentally, physically we're all ready and come kick-off we'll be 100%."

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Scotland boss Steve Clarke is urging his players not to get distracted by the "enormity" of Friday night's Euro 2024 against Germany in Munich.

"It's the opening game of a four-team section, three matches, we know what we have to do to qualify and that's all we focus on," the head coach said.

"Everyone is fully fit, flying, desperate to be selected and ready to go.

"The enormity of the opener is a bit of a sideshow and hopefully we don't get too caught up in that.

"It's a difficult game. One of the mantras I've had is respect everyone and fear no one.

"We know they're a good team but hopefully we can show everyone we're a good team as well."

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Steve Clarke has been speaking to the media in Munich before his Scotland side take on Germany in Friday night's Euro 2024 opener.

Here are the key points:

• Clarke started by acknowledging how busy the press conference was and joked "it must be a big game" tomorrow night.

• The Scotland boss insists his side must not get sidetracked by the "enormity" of the opener but says they'll "respect everyone and fear no one" in the first game and beyond.

• Clarke also stressed the importance of the travelling Tartan Army support who will be a "big boost" to his side.

• The Scotland boss adds: "I've been lucky enough to be involved in big matches - it was nice to be involved in the last Euros. I can enjoy it, I'll enjoy it even more once we've got four points on the board."

• He offered up positive squad news too with "everyone fit and firing" for the opener after a tough few weeks with injuries.

• Clarke is confident his players will be able to handle the occasion but is expecting Germany to be a really tough opponent.

Although he has been ruled out of the tournament through injury, Scotland striker Lyndon Dykes is part of the squad in Germany and revelling in the party atmosphere with the Tartan Army.

Scott Mullen
BBC Sport Scotland in Munich

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It's funny the conversations you have while standing idle on a German train platform.

With Scotland's big game almost upon us, I grabbed BBC Sport Scotland's finest pundits to see who their key man will be in the Allianz Arena on Friday night.

Steven Thompson - John McGinn

"Down the left Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson is an area of the pitch that has given us so much joy, we look to build down that side.

"But I think McGinn could be the key man. His goal record for Scotland is brilliant. His energy and enthusiasm rubs off on everyone else."

Leanne Crichton - John McGinn

"Super John McGinn. His performances, the way he galvanises the squad and fans, I think his energy levels is incredible.

"He's great on the ball and he's always capable of coming up with a moment of magic."

Neil McCann - Everyone

"It's a collective effort for this one. Scott McTominay has been talismanic, as has McGinn.

"Tierney has been superb for us on that left side because he allows Andy to get up, so we'll need everyone."

Scotland should not take Toni Kroos' "unpleasant" comment as "an insult".

That's according to Germany-based Scottish broadcaster Derek Rae, who says the remark from the Real Madrid legend is a "mark of respect".

Kroos, who retires from playing at the end of Euro 2024, referred to the Scots as "unangenehm" - the German word for unpleasant - when previewing Friday's tournament opener.

The 34-year-old also referenced how he has been warned of the threats of Steve Clarke's side by his club team-mates at Real, who were involved in Spain's shock defeat at Hampden in qualifying.

"It was really instructive to listen to Kroos," Rae told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "Prior to that, not many of the German players had really referenced Scotland as such, but he got into it in some detail.

"He spoke about the fact a few of his Real Madrid team-mates came a cropper at Hamden on that famous night.

"And he used the word: 'unangenehm'. Don't take that as an insult. That's actually a mark of respect when a German player or coach describes a team as 'unangenehm'.

"What they're basically saying is they're very difficult to play against, they're a tough nut to crack, so I think that's what Germany have been working on."

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German football journalist Raphael Honigstein insists the hosts need to be "careful" against Scotland in their Euro 24 opener.

Julian Nagelsmann's side are big favourites to start with a win on home soil, but Honingstein says it won't be easy.

"It's not the most difficult group on paper and Scotland are probably not the most difficult team within the group but Germany will have to be careful," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Balance has been a problem for this Germany team in recent tournaments that they've been a bit top heavy, tried to force the issue a bit too much and conceded silly goals.

"This is not a team that can sit back and counter-attack or play slow, methodical football.

"They have all the best players in number 10 positions and they need to have the ball in that area to be effective."

Image source, Reuters

Is a counter-attack approach Scotland's route to a stunning win in their Euro 2024 opener with Germany?

Scottish coach and analyst John Walker believes so.

Steve Clarke's side will walk out at the Allianz Arena as huge underdogs in Munich, and while the "right wing-back area is a concern" for Walker, he can potentially see the game unfolding in a frustrating manner for the Germans.

"I wouldn't want Scotland to be high pressing," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "So I'm looking for Germany to get impatient, crowd on their back, still goalless after an hour.

"Then they might try to force those passes and you've got Kieran Tierney, Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay and John McGinn on the counter.

"I could see [any potential goal] being like both goals in Gibraltar, both goals in Finland, coming from Robertson crossing positions or McGinn underlapping.

"If you can counter Germany, you can get in their box and you can get a numerical advantage. You can get goals against this German side."

That view coincides with the concerns Germans have about their side, according to Derek Rae, who says Julian Nagelsmann's men are struggling "to break down teams like Scotland".

"I think how you have success against Germany is, first of all, you've got to hope they have a bad night," the Germany-based Scottish broadcaster adds.

"Germany will obviously sit high. And where they get into trouble sometimes is with protecting themselves against the counter-attack.

"You're sometimes in a situation where there are only two German players back, we've seen it time and again, most recently against Greece in the warm-up game in Monchengladbach, where they look dishevelled at times."

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Celtic defender Greg Taylor is hoping to add to his 14 Scotland caps at Euro 2024.

The 26-year-old didn't play at the previous Euros and is understudy to Andy Robertson for the left-back berth.

But Taylor knows how meaningful just being selected for the squad is.

"To go to a major tournament once with your country is more than any young boy can dream," he said.

"I didn't feature in the last tournament so I'd love to play some minutes in this tournament.

"If that doesn't come I can still say I've been to two major tournaments with my country.

"I've got 14 caps now for my country and I've never taken one for granted. I hope I get more than that."

Jane Lewis in Garmisch-Partenkirchen
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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A full complement of 26 Scotland players trained on Thursday morning - their final session before heading to Munich for Friday night's Euros opener against Germany.

And they were in good spirits, plenty of laughs amid the warm-up.

Injured striker Lyndon Dykes has also joined the gang, complete with his moon boot. He’s going to stay with the squad for the duration of the tournament.